According to Homer’s Odyssey, after the Trojan War, Menestheus escaped through the Straits of Gibraltar to the mouth of the Guadalete River (modern day El Puerto de Santa María) where he established Menesthei Portus (Menestheus’s port). The port was…
Day 875 – Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain – The Sherry Triangle (part 2)
March 13, 2022
The habitation of the area around the mouth of the Guadalquivir river can be traced back to the semi-mythical city of Tartessos and the lost Tartessians culture which had its own written language, contemporaries of the Phoenicians who later…
Day 871 – Jerez de la Frontera – The Sherry Triangle (part 1)
March 9, 2022
Jerez de la Frontera is a town of just over 200 thousand best known as the production capitol of sherry wines. Here along with the two coastal towns of El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda (until…
Day 869 – Cádiz, Spain – One of the oldest cities in western Europe.
March 4, 2022
Cádiz is a peninsular port city located in the south of Spain and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in western Europe. Founded around 1104 BC by the Phoenicians, this city has a very long history of…
Abantal – February 11, 2022 (Seville, Spain)
February 27, 2022
Abantal was opened by Andalusian chef Julio Fernández Quintero in 2004, and shortly after he won best Andalusian chef in 2005. By 2008 he achieved his first Michelin star which Abantal still retains 14 years later. Abantal is founded…
Day 748 – Santiago de Compostela, Spain – The end of the Camino.
November 6, 2021
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain was believed to house the remains of St. John the apostle and in the 10th century became one of the three great pilgrimage sites of the Catholic church (Rome and Jerusalem…
Day 161 – Granada, Spain – The last stronghold of Moorish Europe
March 28, 2020
Granada sits in the south of Spain at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the confluence of the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro rivers. It was the last Moorish stronghold to fall to Ferdinand…
Day 155 – Seville, Spain – The orange blossom dream I wished would never end.
March 17, 2020
Thin winding streets lined with orange trees, the smell of orange blossoms surrounding you, ancient tile-work facades on brightly painted buildings in ochre and curry and mustard. The sheer ornateness of the city suggests a history much larger than…
Day 155 – Seville, Spain – Andalusian cuisine: Eating tapas in Seville
March 11, 2020
Andalusian cuisine Andalusian cuisine reflects the deep history and turmoil of the region. You can trace the region’s traditional dishes to contributions made by different cultures throughout time. The region was first settled by the Phoenicians around 1100BC who…
La Tasqueria de Javi Estevez – March 2, 2020 (Madrid, Spain)
March 5, 2020
Javi Estevez started his restaurant in 2015 and at 35 received his first Michelin star in 2019. What makes his restaurant exceptional is that he did it championing the nose to tail approach he feels represents traditional Spanish cooking…